Stand Tall: Budgeting game from IHC

Illustrated characters from the Stand Tall game, with the game's title on an illustrated suburban background.

We’re huge fans of the new free budgeting game Stand Tall, created by our friends at IHC. Here is the game’s blurb from IHC’s website:

“Stand Tall is a free budgeting game that teaches you how to manage your money. Choose where to focus your finances and learn how to live independently. There are bills to pay, food and travel to budget for, plus loads of fun things to spend your money on. Get it right and your happiness will soar, but spend too much and you’ll have a financial headache!”

In the game, players get to:

  • Create their own avatar.
  • Learn about managing their money and wellbeing.
  • Navigate real life scenarios.
  • Create their own calendar to keep on track of everything.

Visit the IHC website to find out more and start playing today.

LinkedIn Learning courses on budgeting

While we’re talking about budgeting, we’d like to remind you that your Wellington City Libraries card gives you access to LinkedIn Learning. Below, you’ll find some of LinkedIn Learning’s free courses about managing your money.

Continue reading “Stand Tall: Budgeting game from IHC”

Live well, spend less – a booklist

Make every dollar work for you while also enjoying your food, home, and giving great gifts. Have a browse of the books below for tasty recipes that use everyday ingredients, decorating ideas to make your home yours in a rental, tips for growing food in the backyard, and living life well while also saving money.

Interested in one of these titles but it’s not at a branch near you? You can have books delivered to a branch near you, by clicking on the ‘Place Reserve’ button.

Here are also some useful and free resources:


Live well, spend less : easy ways to save money in every part of your life / Gray, Sophie
“This simple, practical and definitely not boring book on living well while spending less will appeal to families but also to students, flatters and fixed income households. It incorporates tips, suggestions and strategies  with a light-hearted, easy-to-apply and, honest approach. Covering all aspects of life, there are suggestions for making money as well using less of it.  Topics include: food, energy, cleaning, cars, outdoors; family life, kids and money, leisure, celebrations, looking sharp and presents.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

5 ingredients : quick & easy food / Oliver, Jamie
“Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated – that’s why Jamie’s Quick & Easy 5-Ingredient Food is sure to become your new best friend in the kitchen. It’s all about making the journey to good food, super-simple. Every recipe uses just five key ingredients, ensuring you can get a plate of food together fast, whether it’s finished and on the table super-quickly, or after minimal hands-on prep, you’ve let the oven do the hard work for you. We’re talking quality over quantity, a little diligence on the cooking front, and in return massive flavour. Each recipe has been tried and tested (and tested again!) to ensure the book is packed with no-fuss, budget-friendly dishes that you can rustle up, any day of the week.” (Catalogue)

Home sweet rented home : transform your home without losing your deposit / Grillo, Medina
“Stylish living in a rented space. You’ve got the keys from your landlord, moved into your new home, and the boxes are unpacked. Now you want to put your stamp on the place, but how do you do this when you can’t redecorate or renovate? Here, interiors blogger Medina Grillo shares her favourite tips, tricks and DIY projects for transforming a rented space. Learn how to create a gallery wall without damaging the paintwork, add a splash of colour with home accessories, update and improve fixtures and fittings — and make your rented house feel like home.” (Catalogue)

Easy on the pocket, easy to prepare : inexpensive family meals / Holst, Simon
“Who said eating needs to be complicated or costly? In Easy on the pocket, Easy to prepare, Simon Holst shows that doing both is within the reach of cooks of any ability.” (Catalogue)

Edible DIY / Baker, Lucy
“Based on the popular Serious Eats column by the same name, Edible DIY includes 75 easy recipes in five chapters: Crunchy, Boozy, Sweet, Spicy, and Jars. With plenty of packaging tips throughout, Edible DIY is the perfect solution for making inexpensive edible gifts in your own kitchen with everything from Chocolate-Peppermint Marshmallows and Coconut Granola to Homemade Sriracha and Espresso Barbeque Sauce. Illustrated with inspirational full-color photography throughout.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

Grow all you can eat in 3 square feet
“Want to grow your own vegetables and food, but don’t have enough space for a garden? Don’t let lack of space get in the way of growing healthy, organic foods at home. Apartment dwellers, schoolteachers, and anyone else who wants to grow a lot of food in a little space will find a great small garden resource in Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet. Small-space gardeners, find your start in Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet, packed with information on window boxes, potted plants, patio gardening, raised beds, small square-foot gardening, container gardening, and everything else related to growing your own small garden. Whether you want to grow a full garden, grow tomatoes, grow an herb garden, or just pick up great tips for small gardens, Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet is the resource you need.” (Catalogue)

Budget bytes : over 100 easy, delicious recipes to slash your grocery bill in half / Moncel, Beth
“The debut cookbook from the Internet expert on making eating cheap dependably delicious. As a college grad during the recent great recession, Beth Moncel found herself, like so many others, broke. Unwilling to sacrifice eating healthy and well-armed with a degree in nutritional science, Beth began tracking her costs with obsessive precision, and soon cut her grocery bill in half. Eager to share her tips and recipes, she launched her blog, Budget Bytes. Soon the blog received millions of readers clamoring for more.” (Adapted from the Catalogue)

The budget-wise gardener : with hundreds of money-saving buying & design tips for planting the best for less / Mendez, Kerry Ann
“The Budget-Wise Gardener is here with the inside scoop on nailing the best deals and having it all. Author and “plantaholic” Kerry Ann Mendez is a resourceful garden pro who knows where the bargains are hiding. In these tip-filled pages you will learn: How to select plants that pay for their keep and keep on giving; How to navigate catalogs and garden centers to your benefit; How to time your purchases to take advantage of deep discounts and giveaways; How to find treasures at plant, bulb, and seed swaps; and much more.” (Catalogue)

Op shop chic / Lyons, Rosie
“Op shops are treasure troves of the beautiful and unique. In Op Shop Chic, Rosie Lyons shows you how to recycle your pre-loved finds into sylish and original objects to brighten up your home, garden and wardrobe.” — Back cover.” (Catalogue)

A girl called Jack : 100 delicious budget recipes / Monroe, Jack
“In her first cookbook, Jack shows you how to adapt the way you shop to be less wasteful, and to value the techniques of inexpensive but good cooking. Her recipes are reassuring and just the thing to make confident, budget-conscious cooks of us all, suggesting great alternative ingredients and different approaches to getting a good result – this is real food for real people.” (Catalogue)

Low-cost living / Harrison, John
“This book offers practical ways to save money and energy and make better uses of your resources. When economic conditions are tough, we all need to watch our spending. John Harrison’s simple, tried and tested methods will help you to enjoy a better standard of living while saving money and helping the environment. Discover the benefits of growing your own fruit and vegetables, raising chickens, making butter, cheese and bread, and brewing your own beer. Save energy, save on your bills. Harvest food for free and avoid waste.” (Catalogue)